A freely walking biped robot the size and shape of a human being is being developed to realistically simulate a soldier wearing protective clothing.

The robot, PETMAN (from Protection Ensemble Test Mannequin), is being developed by Boston Dynamics for the US Army for testing chemical protection clothing. The anthropomorphic robot will be able to balance itself while walking, crawling, doing calisthenics, and generally moving freely like a human while being exposed to chemical warfare agents.

At its current stage the robot resembles a box on legs, but in its final form it will closely resemble a person, having “the shape and size of a standard human,” according to VP of Engineering at Boston Dynamics, Robert Playter. When completed, PETMAN will be the first anthropomorphic robot to move dynamically like a real person, Playter said. The army also wanted the robot to simulate physiological responses inside the suit, such as sweating, temperature and humidity control, and even breathing, to even more realistically simulate a soldier wearing a protective suit.

I really, really want to see these things walking down the sidewalk carrying groceries by the time I'm sixty. I love that they stuck tennis shoes on the 'bot, too, though I wonder how/if that affects its performance at all.

Loved the discussion in the comments on that page, worth a read. Regarding these things that are interesting but I don't think there are any viable power sources, anyone got a picture of a robot eating pie in the sky?